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Postgame/Boxscore/Story: Freshman Duo Leads #6 Vols Past Western Carolina, 9-2

Posted on March 31, 2021

Vols OF Kyle Booker / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 6 Tennessee took care of business with a solid all-around effort in a 9-2 victory over Western Carolina on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

A pair of freshmen were the stars for the Big Orange as outfielder Kyle Booker and pitcher Jake Fitzgibbons both put forth their best performances of the season to this point.

Booker led the charge offensively with a career-best three runs and two hits, including his first-career home run, and a career-high tying three runs batted in. Fitzgibbons earned his first collegiate victory after pitching 3.1 shutout innings in relief, allowing just one hit while striking out four batters.

Jake Rucker also had a solid night with four RBI and his fourth home run of the year, a three-run shot in the eighth inning to put the final nail in the Catamounts’ coffin.

Seven different pitchers saw action for the Vols on Tuesday night and combined to allow a season-low three hits while totaling 11 strikeouts.

UT jumped out to an early lead on an RBI groundout by Rucker in the first inning, but fell behind 2-1 in the third after a two-run homer by Luke Robinson.

Booker’s solo home run quickly tied the game in the bottom of the third before a three-run fourth inning gave Tennessee a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Booker drove in two runs with a single down the right-field line and ended up scoring on a wild pitch later in the inning to give the Vols a 5-2 advantage.

A pair of home runs from Evan Russell and Rucker accounted for the final four runs for UT. Russell’s solo blast in the fifth was his fourth home run in the last three games.

Eric Wallington got the loss for WCU (13-5) after allowing three runs in just a third of an inning. Daylan Nanny and Will Prater had the only other hits for the Catamounts aside from Robinson’s homer.

Tennessee (22-4 // 5-1 SEC) will now set its sights on a trip to Tuscaloosa this weekend to take on Alabama. First pitch for Friday’s series opener is slated for 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.

NOTABLE

BIG SWINGS FOR BOOKER: True freshman Kyle Booker had his best game of the season on Tuesday, leading the team with two hits and three runs scored, both career highs. The Mississippi native also hit his first-career home run and tied a career high with three RBI on the night. Booker’s solo homer in the third inning tied the game and his two-run single in the fourth put the Vols up for good.

RUSSELL CONTINUES TO MASH: Senior outfielder Evan Russell’s impressive power surge continued on Tuesday with his fourth home run in the past three games. Russell tied the school record with three home runs in a 9-8 win over LSU last weekend and hit his fifth home run of the year on Tuesday against the Catamounts.

Box Score (PDF) | VIDEO: Vitello, Fitzgibbons & Booker Postgame

-UT Athletics

Boxscore/Story: No. 21 Lady Vols Cruise by Liberty, 6-0

Posted on March 31, 2021

Ashley Rogers – UT Softball / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A dominant effort in the circle from junior Ashley Rogers and solid days at the dish from junior Ally Shipman and sophomore Kiki Milloy propelled the No. 21 Tennessee softball team past Liberty, 6-0, on Tuesday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

The win is Tennessee’s (26-5) 13th shutout win of the season and marked just the third time the Flames (21-10) have been shutout themselves in 2021.

Rogers tossed a complete-game shutout, fanning eight batters, giving up just two hits and conceding a single walk.

The result is Rogers’ third win in the last two days, after she picked up both W’s during Monday’s doubleheader with Furman.

At the plate, Milloy finished the day 2-for-2 with two RBI, a home run, three runs scored and a stolen base on the base paths.

Shipman was also effective, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a homer. The Valencia, California native’s three runs batted in upped her season total to 25 through 30 games.

Tennessee opened its scoring account in the second inning, when Shipman went yard for the fifth time this season, scoring both herself and Milloy to give UT the quick, 2-0 lead.

In the following inning, the Lady Vols extended their lead on a flared single to right from Shipman and a pair of walks that first loaded the bases, before scoring Milloy to give the Orange & White a 4-0 advantage.

The fourth inning saw a similar result as Milloy cranked one to dead center with a runner on first, increasing the Tennessee lead to, 6-0 heading into the fifth.

The final three innings remained quiet as Rogers did her thing in the circle and continued to shut down the Flames, cementing the afternoon’s final score line.

UP NEXT
Tennessee returns to action for an SEC weekend series with Kentucky from Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Game one is set for Friday evening at 5 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

PDF Box Score | Updated Overall Stats

-UT Athletics

Dierks Bentley Feels Like He Can Brag About Gone – Cause He Didn’t Write It

Posted on March 31, 2021

Dierks Bentley didn’t write his latest hit song “Gone” but he was attracted to it right away when he heard the track, “When it came time to go cut some stuff, this song just sort of rose to the top. And I gravitate towards it because I loved the title.”

When it comes to that title, Dierks feels like there could be a deeper message for the listener because of what everyone, including himself, has gone through over the past year, “I feel like I’ve been gone, I feel like we’ve all been gone. I feel like country music in 2020 was just gone. So, it touches on a little bit of the idea of what’s been going on here with COVID, but it does it in a metaphorical way through a relationship.”

Dierks thinks being able to interpret the song in a couple of different ways is a big help, “So, I don’t think anybody wants to hear anything too directly written about what happening right now. It’d be too depressing.”

How ever you listen to it, “Gone” is just a great song that Dierks loves praising — and he jokes he can talk it up all he wants, “I just love the groove, I love the way it feels…one of the good things about not writing the song, is that I can brag on it. It’s just written well! It’s well, well written with a great grove, it’s fun to listen to…it just feels like a great song.”

Dierks Bentley created a great music video for “Gone” as well — in fact, it’s so good, it received a ACM Award nomination for Video of the Year! Check it out right here…

Photo Credit: Jim Wright

Lainey Wilson Thinks There Are Things A Man Should Actually Know

Posted on March 31, 2021

Lainey Wilson is making people take notice with her song “Things A Man Oughta Know” – but the first thing people noticed when she moved to Nashville was her accent.

Moving from northeast Louisiana, when people ask where she was from, Lainey simply used her home state’s 2 letter abbreviation-but people were thinking of another famous “LA” when she said it.

Lainey shares, “When I first moved to Nashville, from northeast Louisiana, everywhere I went, everybody asked me where in the world was I from. I guess they thought I had an accent. Well, I told them I was from LA. They said ‘there is no way you’re from Los Angeles talking like that.’ So, there was a little bit of a language barrier, I guess you could say. (laugh)”

Pretty soon it didn’t matter where she was from, because all people were concerned about was her singing and songwriting talent.

In her song, “Things A Man Oughta Know” Lainey lists a bunch of things that she thinks a man oughta know…from changing tires, to catching a fish, to not letting a woman you love go…which is kind of the message she wants to get across, “‘Things a Man Oughta Know’ is a song about treating people the way that you want to be treated. It’s a song about having good character. It’s about discernment and having the courage to do the right thing.”

Now, that’s all good — and these days having the courage to do the right thing is severely needed…but Lainey thinks some of the other things in the song are worth while knowing too, “We’re not necessarily saying that you need to know exactly how to change a flat tire, except…you should probably learn how to do that.”

Check out Lainey Wilson’s song “Things A Man Oughta Know” right here…

Photo Courtesy of BBR Music Group

WATCH: Tim Banks “We want to put our players in position to play fast”

Posted on March 31, 2021

Vols Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks spoke with media after spring practice #3.

WATCH: Kodi Burns “They are playing with a sense of urgency we’re looking for”

Posted on March 30, 2021

Vols Wide Receiver Coach Kodi Burns spoke with media after spring practice #3.

Vols WR Coach Kodi Burns / Credit: WNML Staff

Chase Rice & FGL Have a Decade of Drinkin’, Talking’, and Being Friends

Posted on March 30, 2021

Chase Rice reunited with his buddies Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line for his track “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.”

Chase says the trio’s friendship goes back more than a decade, “Brian, Tyler and I used to live in a house together 10 years ago and we wrote a bunch of songs back then, so it’s really cool to be doing music for the first time in 10 years. It’s a really special song.”

Chase shares how Brian and Tyler got involved with the song, “I actually wrote this song with Cale Dodds, Hunter Phelps and Corey Crowder, who’s FGL’s producer, so he obviously played the song for them and they loved it from the get-go.”

Tyler Hubbard says, “This song really just means a lot to us, because it’s real… you know? It’s a story, it’s a song about the life that we live and what happens a lot of times when we get together and we’re reminiscing about life and talking about where we’re at, what we’re going through. Having a few drinks, and you know, just being real.”

Brian Kelley adds, “I’ll never forget the day this song landed in a text message from Chase to myself and Tyler and he said ‘hey boys, we gotta hop on this song. Let’s produce it together, let’s record it, let’s put it out, see what happens.’ Ya know, the first time I heard it, I was like ‘yo this song’s a hit, this song feels big it’s spiritual, it’s powerful, it’s kinda like a party song. It’s got all these emotions and all these feelings in it.’ And already was drawn to it just by the title alone.”

When it came to making the video for the track, Chase says it couldn’t have been easier if they tried, “This video was really cool to film because we weren’t acting or remembering lines — we were just hanging out on my farm as real friends enjoying the night together.”

Check out the music video for “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen” – from Chase Rice and Florida Georgia Line.

Photo Courtesy of BBR Music Group

Gabby Barrett Checks In on “The Good Ones” From the Couch

Posted on March 30, 2021

Gabby Barrett has been in mom mode since she gave birth to her daughter back in January. As she, and her husband Cade Foehner, have been home taking care of their little one, Gabby’s song “The Good Ones” has been climbing the country music airplay chart.

But this week, Gabby reappeared…at least on social media, and shared a selfie with the comment, “Wanted to jump on here right quick because I heard “The Good Ones” is climbing in the Top 5 on the Country Radio Chart. AMAZING!!!!!! So happy y’all love this song as much as I do. Thank you Country Radio always, and thank you fans! Sending my love from the couch, smelling like spoiled milk!”

Fans might be seeing more of Gabby again in a few weeks as she is a multiple ACM Award nominee — so, maybe a little acceptance speech from the couch?

We’ll have to wait and see if she takes home the trophy for New Female Artist of the Year, or Single of the Year for her mega-smash hit “I Hope,” as the ACM Awards air Sunday April 18th on CBS.

As for her current hit song, check out the music video for “The Good Ones” from Gabby Barrett right here…

Headline Photo Credit: Robby Klein

Additional Photo Courtesy of Gabby Barrett

Dan + Shay Appear on The Voice as Team Blake Shelton Advisors

Posted on March 30, 2021

Normally Blake Shelton is the lone representation of country music on The Voice, but this week he has some back-up!

First, Kelsea Ballerini is stepping in temporarily to help out as Kelly Clarkson isn’t feeling well.

Second, Blake pulled some strings got Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney to come in as advisors for his team this season.

Dan + Shay shared, “not sure if The Voice knew what they were getting themselves into when we were asked to join Blake Shelton’s team as advisors this season.”

You can get a taste of what the duo did in their role when they appeared on the hit NBC show in this advisors reveal video…

Headline Photo Credit: Catherine Powell

Additional Photo Courtesy of Dan + Shay

Kelsea Ballerini Steps Into Kelly Clarkson’s Chair on The Voice (Temporarily)

Posted on March 30, 2021

When Kelly Clarkson fell ill and couldn’t fulfilled her judging duties on NBC’s The Voice, she reached out to her friend Kelsea Ballerini to step in.

Kelsea chronicled her turn in the judging chair, saying, “an incredible whirlwind sitting in for my girllll Kelly Clarkson for the next few weeks of battle rounds on The Voice starting tonight! and let me say, ITS THE TALENT THIS SEASON FOR ME. #teamkelly”

While Kelsea has appeared on the show previously as a advisor – for Kelly’s team – it’s a different story being the one making the decisions — like making this steal during The Voice Battles

Some of the fun she had with fellow judges Jon Legend, Nick Jonas and of course, Blake Shelton, was captured in The Voice‘s promo announcing that she stepped in for Kelly…

For the full episode of The Voice featuring Kelsea Ballerini, Click HERE

Photos Courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini